Share this video

Watch Next

Merseyside Chief Constable Andy Cooke has lived up to both his name and his promise - heading down to the frontline to lend a hand in the ECHO’s war on food poverty.

Mr Cooke joined Liverpool ECHO Editor Alastair Machray in helping prepare meals at Can Cook in Speke - the social enterprise base where hundreds of freshly prepared meals are being made and despatched every week.

We’re on a campaign called Share Your Lunch, urging readers, restaurants, businesses and organisations to raise thousands of pounds to help - with £2 meaning a good meal made with fresh ingredients can be made and given to someone going hungry.

ECHO readers have so far responded in droves, with around £45,000 raised or pledged to date. But much more is needed as the problem grows - and Christmas and winter loom into view.

The campaign was given a major boost last month when Liverpool born and bred Chief Constable Mr Cooke pledged his personal support and that of his 6,000 officers and staff.

After helping pack nutritious, oven ready meals with the staff at Can Cook, Mr Cooke said: “My staff on a daily basis see some of the terrible need and vulnerability across our communities.

“This is a tremendous campaign to make sure that people who are vulnerable get the right meals and the food they need on a regular basis.

“I’m delighted that Merseyside Police can support it, absolutely delighted that my staff are doing all they can to do this.

“I’ll be appealing to the staff to give up £2 each before Christmas just to put before the funds. That means an awful lot of meals for those who need them. It’s a small thing to do.”

We do put the community first - Chief Constable Andy Cooke

Mr Cooke, says police officers and support staff in stations and bases across the region have responded generously and willingly to his call to help the communities they serve - and to which they are themselves an integral part.

He said: “It has gone down really, really well.

“We have great staff at Merseyside police, who are doing a great job.

“They do put the community first. They do think of others and this is a great way to show it.

“Right across the force, individuals and groups are cooking meals and charging for them with all the proceeds going to the Share Your Lunch campaign.

“I’ve eaten more cakes over the last few weeks than I care to remember! My stomach doesn’t think so but it is all in a good cause.”

Benefit cuts and sanctions, as well as zero hours contracts with their irregular hours and pay packets, are cited by campaigners as prime reasons why so many families - most of them working families - are struggling to afford to feed themselves in 2016.

Well meaning food banks, while helping widely, can often only deliver tinned or packeted and processed food. Can Cook believe struggling families deserve not just to eat - but to eat healthily and well.

Added Can Cook Director Robbie Davison: “I’m so grateful to Merseyside Police and to the Chief Constable for coming along to see for himself what we do and help us out, alongside Ali.

“I think the campaign is as strong as we could have made it.

“The ECHO coming on board has made a big, big statement in the city. We have drawn the attention of the public, had lots of public donations and we are obviously looking to step that up during the Christmas period.

“So far we have had pledges of around £45,000 and that is 22,000 meals.

“But we must keep going.

“So I’d urge everyone, every time they have a good meal at home, to think of somebody else who hasn’t. That’s what Share Your lunch is all about.”

How to help

Donate £2 to provide a healthy. tasty Can Cook meal (or whatever you can afford) to the campaign by texting ‘Share’ to 82055​ and following the link returned to you.